Couple gets design advice from Colin and Justin

We’ve only just returned to Toronto after a heavenly week in the Dominican Republic and already, before the last grains of sand have been shaken from our Birkenstocks, or the last vestiges of rum purged from our bodies, we’re hard at work. Time, you see, is of the essence as far as a promise we made to Vancouverites David and Connie, a lovely couple whose acquaintance we made over pina coladas under the beautiful Caribbean sun. As we sipped, we pledged to devote this week’s musings to aid their decorative cause. And, being that they read our syndicated column in B.C., we’re honouring our word.

Each day, we’d settle oceanside and listen as they described remodelling a 3,000-square-feet property in White Rock. Bought as a fixer-upper with a view to flipping, they “accidentally” fell in love with the place and, by the time we met, had made the decision to sell their own home and move into the emerging masterpiece. “We’ve done everything,” they enthused as they lathered on lotion and worked on their tans, “from replacing the roof to installing hardwood floors and replastering walls.”

Also tackled were three bathrooms and the radical gut down of the kitchen, a stark modern space, they explained, that, pre-reno resembled a vet’s surgery. New windows were added, as was a new boiler; clearly they’d put their hearts and souls into the project, but as we looked at pictures on their iPad, we noticed several red flags. Trailing from their media cabinet was a collection of cables that led to speakers everywhere; a design flaw, certainly, and a trip hazard into the bargain. Picture the scene: David and Connie are hosting an elegant soiree to reveal their work, but the party is just one step from disaster. When a Christian Louboutin spike heel catches one of the trailing flexes, that tray of pimento-stuffed olives and vodka martinis is going everywhere. Light-hearted as our observation may be, the lesson contained has a serious message if breakages, or worse still, injuries, are to be avoided.

Another image in David and Connie’s scrolling repertoire was that of a beautiful plasma; a 52-inch monolith perched high above the family room hearth. No problems there, you might think, until we explain that scarring the project was a four-centimetre-wide ducting tube that dropped from the TV and ran down the side of the fireplace. Installed to “conceal” power sources, it was nothing short of ugly. Determined not to rain on their parade (the daily 2 p.m. mini monsoon ticked that box adequately), we suggested that with a little extra attention to detail, they’d have pushed their reno to the next level. “What’s the problem?” posed Connie as we stared at the pics like rabbits caught in headlights. “Your home’s lovely, but, er, what about all the, you know, the . . . ” Silence, then, from Connie; “The what?” Further silence before, from us in unison: “The wiring.” Connie’s face sunk as David picked up the gauntlet, attempting to explain away the oversights. “As we said, this was initially a flipper, so we didn’t think to add too many extra details.”

To assist Connie and David, and to help if you’d like to embark on a sound and vision update, here’s a guide that will ensure your “post reno” results don’t resemble an explosion in a spaghetti factory. Wires, as we see it, are like wrinkles on an otherwise beautiful face; with a little nip and tuck they can be coaxed into submission. You’ve just gotta know how.

Concealing flex during any type of project is an art form, especially if you’re installing after walls have been smoothed and painted finishes applied. We’ll come back to system installations that occur during building work, but for those who want to make the best of what you already have, there are lessons to be learned.

For starters, don’t run cables across walls. Invest, instead, in extra cabling to run along or under skirting boards, around doors and below crown mouldings. Flat-wired speaker cable costs between 50 cents to $1.50 a foot, and if it is fixed neatly using clips, you’ll minimize visual obstruction. If you’re positioning speakers at a point below either ceiling or crown moulding, it may be necessary to run cable down the point at which walls join, but painting will reduce “glare.” If you simply need to reduce wire clutter connecting your media unit to a power source, Ikea sells inexpensive cable tunnelling that gathers everything into one tube.

Another means to transition cable from one side of the room to another (without disturbing paint surfaces) is to run low-voltage flat-flex speaker cable below underlay and carpet, preferably at a point where foot traffic is at a minimum. Whilst not ideal, this can problem-solve if economics are tight. If you have lumber flooring that can be separated at a convenient point, wiring can be discreetly positioned here as long as there’s sufficient gapping to accommodate the flex. If not, you can plane the underside edge of one of the boards to accommodate. Simply chase cabling across the room and onto the skirting board — to wherever you’re locating your speakers — using our guidance, as before.

If your project room is at ground level and if you have an unfinished basement, you can also consider running flex under joists, however, as with any wiring installation (even with low voltage speaker cable), it’s worth calling an electrician to be certain you’re doing things correctly. Speaker cables and their various concealment tactics are one thing. but full power cables are another matter altogether. Always be safe!

A change of orientation, too, is another way in which to visually minimize obtrusive cabling. It may be that by flipping the direction of your furnishings — and relocating TV and other media requirements — you’ll be able to “hide” surface-mounted wiring. Even better than these quick fix tactics, however, is an alternative route; on the market today are wireless set-ups that allow all your systems to communicate with each other via Bluetooth or via your Wi-Fi network. iTunes, for example, uses “file sharing” so that each computer in your home can share music, films and videos stored in one single iTunes account. Essentially, this allows you to select what you watch in different locations, which means that different viewers or listeners can enjoy what they choose, regardless of room.

Check out www.sonos.com for packages that allow you to “make your Wi-Fi go hi-fi,” as the company themselves proudly proclaim. Sonos rather cleverly lets you distribute digital music with hi-fi sound across your entire domestic Wi-Fi network. And it’s actually rather simple; you start with one Sonos unit and one “bridge,” which connects to your router. Thereafter, you wirelessly expand the system to any other room. The exciting news is that with this system, different people can listen to different tracks coming from a single source, or you can play the same track everywhere. Brilliant if you’re having a dinner party, for example, and don’t want music blaring from a far off room; with Sonos you can enjoy music set to precisely the same level anywhere the wireless speakers are positioned. Harmonious or what?

As far as full-scale cinema systems are concerned, these are no longer the domain of playboy penthouses and multi-million-dollar mansions — you can now find relatively simple set-ups in high street stores such as Best Buy or Future Shop. For affordable self-install operations with easy-to-understand practicalities, chat to Best Buy’s Geek Squad about ways to minimize installation upheaval and the best way to conceal cabling. Crystal clear imagery, 3D capability and 7.1 surround sound are all now realistic options, even when budget is tight. Bearing in mind that many people now obtain their movies on pay-per-view packages through cable suppliers like Rogers, it even means we no longer have to worry about storing DVD boxes and associated paraphernalia.

If your budget is flexible, specialists can work out audio and home theatre requirements and, if you’re lucky enough to be starting from scratch, the world is your aural oyster.

Anyway, cutting to the chase; David and Connie in Vancouver: We hope you’re taking notes. Working in your city at the end of the month, we look forward to honouring our word and coming by to inspect your White Rock beauty. In the meantime; to ensure our rendezvous rekindles the spirit of all things Caribbean, we suggest practising your repertoire of rum-based cocktails, beading your hair Bo Derek-style (no, not you, David!) and fixing your flexing fiasco ahead of our arrival. The last thing we need is for any of us, high on pina coladas, to become lost in a tangle of wiring and broken limbs. Cables and cocktails? They just don’t mix and we ain’t folding our mini umbrella, ditching the sparkler, or losing our cherry for anyone.

Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan are the hosts of HGTV’s Colin & Justin’s Home Heist and the authors of Colin & Justin’s Home Heist Style Guide, published by Penguin Group (Canada). Follow them on TwitterResources

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